I broadly agree with Ridley, Pinker, et al, that material conditions, education, crime reduction, and various other aspects of life have been improving lately.

I broadly agree with Ridley, Pinker, et al, that material conditions, education, crime reduction, and various other aspects of life have been improving lately. I would also agree that economic growth and energy usage aren't inherently bad; these are only problematic at our current level of technology. And we're going to need a lot more of both in order to tackle future existential problems among other things. However one aspect of well-being which isn't always included in these treatments is that of 'mental health' or the state of our 'souls' as it used to be thought of. Both concepts are vague but they do point to something real and profoundly important. So here's an unrhetorical question: are we getting better or worse in this respect, on average? Or is it simply impossible to measure at our present inadequate level of understanding?